Coastal gardening tips
Tending the pocket gardens and native corridors along Bondi’s spectacular coastline is a dream job for these horticulturists
Last year, after a bracing morning swim in the surf, I was shivering across Biddigal Reserve in North Bondi when some new plantings and fresh mulch caught my eye. “There must be a caring gardener behind all that,” I thought. And sure enough, as I came up the stairs from the beach, there they were – not one gardener, but two, hard at work planting but happy to have a chat.
The gardeners were horticulturists
Ilin Shaool and Carissa Lambert who, together with a third horticulturist, Craig Wilson, make up Waverley Council’s
Coastal Gardening Team. They look after the pocket reserves and coastal gardens from Bondi to Tamarama. On these sloping sites, exposure to the salty sea winds and sandy soil make for very tough growing conditions. Anything they choose to plant needs to not only look good, but survive.
“We want the gardens to succeed, so we do a thorough site assessment before any planting project, including soil testing – we use a lot of Australian natives that thrive with the lower pH of sandy coastal soils,” Ilin says. “Our aim is to achieve sustainable garden designs.”
While we’re chatting, Ilin and Carissa are busy planting a row of white and purple Italian lavender (Lavandula stoechas) on an angle to suit their habit and the sloping site. Nearby is an established white-flowered rhaphiolepis bush which, unfazed by the full salty breeze, is absolutely booming. And they’ve just planted a pink-flowered Rhaphiolepis ‘Apple Blossom’, which is a nice contrast to the white one.
“Rhaphiolepis do really well in the Bondi area, and all along the coast,” Carissa says. “Their leaves stay green and lush, and the flowers are always nice and bright. We really love them, so we thought we’d take the opportunity to add another colour.”
Ilin points out some other plants in the bed: “There’s native saltbush, which thrives in coastal conditions year-round; sun rose, another flowering perennial that’s coastal tolerant; and sweet william, which requires minimal maintenance and looks pretty.”
To help the new plantings settle in, the gardeners make sure they water them regularly for the first two months, then they replenish the original mulch.
Other plant choices for the coastal sites they’re responsible for include local indigenous and native plant species and cultivars, such as Lomandra ‘Tanika’ and giant pigface (Carpobrotus spp.), which are not only resilient to the conditions but can handle being ‘pruned’ and ‘shaped’ by pedestrians when they take shortcuts through the gardens. These are just some of the challenges that gardening in a public setting dishes up to the team, but they take it all in their stride.
above and beyond
What’s outstanding about this team is that they have created real interest around the spaces they work in due to their genuine engagement with the locals. When I went back to the reserve to film a segment for Gardening Australia TV, I stopped some of the locals along the Bondi promenade and the iconic coastal walk to ask them what they liked about the local garden spaces. Many mentioned that they knew Ilin and Carissa, and regularly chatted to them to ask about the plants they were using and if they’d suit their own gardens.
I think there’s a broader gardening lesson to be shared here. When people feel a sense of ownership over their work, and the community sees and feels that same level of passion, what follows is a respect and care for public places through buy-in and genuine interest in its success.
“We’re passionate about our jobs,” Ilin says. “We’re well supported by the council, and encouraged to enhance the public open spaces and bring the community together. Our favourite quote is: ‘To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.’”
As we all look out over the gardens to beautiful Bondi Beach, Ilin sums it up: “Look at the million-dollar view – it’s like a dream!” And Carissa adds, “It doesn’t get much better than this!”
TURN OVER for plant lists and tips for coastal gardening.